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Nir Eyal and Perry Halkitis on human challenge trials for COVID-19

In the journal AIDS & Behavior, CPLB Director Nir Eyal and Rutgers School of Public Health Dean Perry Halkitis make a comparison between human challenge trials of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus and the risky trials that were needed in the past to discover effective treatments for HIV, and continue to take place in HIV cure-related research.  

In the piece, a response to a recent joint statement by two AIDS advocacy organizations, the authors argue that, in both cases, it is permissible to put willing research participants at risk, if they understand the risk and autonomously consent, in light of the public health imperative and, in some cases, high background risks for candidate participants.